WTF????

[JerryBaumchen 1,048]

Earlier this summer, New York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority announced that it would be rearranging some of its subway signs because they resembled a slightly naughty bit of internet slang.

The signage for the F, M, and L lines read "FML," which savvy web users know as self-deprecating shorthand for "F -- My Life." The double meaning of its signs caught the transit authority off guard, but they've worked quickly to switch around the letters.

New York's subways are hardly the first victims of acronym problems, though. Let's take a look at ten other organizations, places, and businesses that have realized a bit too late that their initials meant a little more than they had intended.

In 2009, the Wisconsin Tourism Federation's biggest problem wasn't finding a way to attract more people to the metropolitan Kenosha area; it was the realization that its initials mirrored the slang abbreviation for "What the F--?"

The WTF from America's Dairyland has been around since 1979, so it likely predates the vulgar WTF. In the end, though, you can't fight an internet meme. The organization changed its name to the Tourism Federation of Wisconsin.

The WTF's only consolation must be that it's not alone. In 2008, the North Carolina DMV allowed drivers whose license plates contained "WTF" to swap out their tags free of charge. The DMV also had to change its website; the sample plate pictured on the site was "WTF-5505."

While FAA identifiers for airports aren't technically acronyms, the three-letter codes can give rise to their own headaches. Just ask the Sioux City Gateway Airport, which the FAA saddled with the unfortunate designator "SUX."

Airport authorities petitioned for a new code, and the FAA -- and this is not a joke -- offered them "GAY" as a nod to the "Gateway" part of the airport's name.

Sioux City decided that switching to GAY probably wouldn't save them much sophomoric taunting, so officials decided to make the best of the SUX situation. Now the airport markets playful T-shirts emblazoned with slogans like "Fly SUX."

SUX might not even be the worst airport code. According to a 2008 Los Angeles Times story, Fresno's is FAT, and Perm, Russia's is PEE. The big winner has to be Fukuoka, Japan, though. We'll let you guess how that one gets abbreviated

In 2007, Seattle opened a new streetcar line connecting the South Lake Union neighborhood to the city's downtown.

While the project was officially called the South Lake Union Streetcar, local residents began ribbing it as the South Lake Union Trolley, or SLUT.

Although the city and the line's developers did what they could to dispel the notion that the line had a bawdy name, residents still refer to it as the SLUT; in 2007 the Seattle Post-Intelligencer even reported that a coffeehouse was selling T-shirts that read, "Ride the SLUT."

In 2002, Microsoft had to do a little rearranging on the fly. It quickly and quietly changed its ribald "Critical Update Notification Tool" to the more family friendly "Critical Updated Notification Utility."

[BillyVance 34]

LMAO!!

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[quade 3]

While something like this normally calls for a trip to Snopes, in this particular case, these are all pretty much true.

Original source article;
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/08/17/mf.naughty.initials/index.html

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[masterrig 1]

The exit for the L.A. airport could've been... EX-LAX!


Chuck

[Amazon 7]

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In 2002, Microsoft had to do a little rearranging on the fly. It quickly and quietly changed its ribald "Critical Update Notification Tool" to the more family friendly "Critical Updated Notification Utility."

They had another one later that year as well. They renamed IT Operations to Global Operations and Technology.

Ok so not so bad in the US.. but the Germans had an immediate shit fit. Seems that GOT did not go over with them so well. That name lasted about 2 days till it became ITG

[Amazon 7]

Quote

The exit for the L.A. airport could've been... EX-LAX!


Chuck

Actually Chuck ..... that would be Burbank, since it was the primary airport before LAX really came into its own.

I personally think Ex-LAX is sorta fitting for Burbank

[skybill 18]

Hi Jerry,
Funny how that goes. 'Know the 3 letter Riggers' seal has a lot of combos and then some years ago they started making letter-letter-number combos also. I posted some forum about the codes 3 of my early Skydiving buds got when they got their senior ticket. Ben Seal, Numan Gill and Charlie LeBlanc got their tickets from some Designee at the NAVSTA in New Iberia La. when it was still there, about 1962 I think. Ben got "FUJ" Numan got "FUL" and Charlie got the one in the middle, "F-U-K"!!!!! Charlie still has it I'm sure as I would have heard over the years if the FAA freaaked over it.

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[BillyVance 34]

Quote

Quote

In 2002, Microsoft had to do a little rearranging on the fly. It quickly and quietly changed its ribald "Critical Update Notification Tool" to the more family friendly "Critical Updated Notification Utility."

They had another one later that year as well. They renamed IT Operations to Global Operations and Technology.

Ok so not so bad in the US.. but the Germans had an immediate shit fit. Seems that GOT did not go over with them so well. That name lasted about 2 days till it became ITG

Is "mein gott" in German the same as "my God" in english?

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Amazon 7]

Jah


Seems they did not want to think of MS Corp Operations as GOD

[masterrig 1]

Quote

Quote

The exit for the L.A. airport could've been... EX-LAX!


Chuck

Actually Chuck ..... that would be Burbank, since it was the primary airport before LAX really came into its own.

I personally think Ex-LAX is sorta fitting for Burbank

Shows, how much I know about the Left coast.


Chuck

[JohnMitchell 14]

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While something like this normally calls for a trip to Snopes, in this particular case, these are all pretty much true.

I can verify the FAT, SUX and SLUT are all true.

[azureriders 0]

Our local college SLU, is known as Slow Learners University

[andreeb77 0]

Sorry, never heard of that one. "God" in German is spelled "GOTT" not "GOT". So, I wouldn't think anyone would be offended by that (took me quite a while to figure out what you actually meant).

[theonlyski 3]

Clicky1

Clicky2

Clicky3

Clicky4

Clicky5

Clicky6

I should go to sleep...

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[bfilarsky 0]

Don't forget about Little Rock National Airport in Arkansas. The FAA designator for the airport is LIT, making the ICAO designator...... KLIT

[futuredivot 0]

No wonder I can never find it on the sectional

You are only as strong as the prey you devour

[Nutz 0]

The senior rigger at my dz is S4B. Is that descriptive of most riggers?

"Don't! Get! Eliminated!"

[kasch 0]

Ride the SLUT gave me a good chuckle :) nice article thanks!

Sex with sith is like sex with a stripper. A lot of flashing lights and waving of glowing sabers, but in the end you end up with something dark and wrinkely.

DPH# "-13"
TSK# "-13"

[wildcard451 0]

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Don't forget about Little Rock National Airport in Arkansas. The FAA designator for the airport is LIT, making the ICAO designator...... KLIT

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No wonder I can never find it on the sectional

That's what she said.